Liverpool youngster Tom Clayton has revealed that he is hoping to spend the second half of the season on loan.
The 20-year-old can play centre-half, right-back and holding midfield, and has captained the Reds’ under-23s side this season.
Clayton signed a contract extension in April of this year but is yet to make a first-team appearance for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The Rainford-born youngster is currently away on international duty with Scotland under-21s and has revealed a loan deal appeals to him in order for him to gain first-team experience.
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"Definitely," he said in response to being asked if he would leave on loan. “That is something that is on my mind. We’ll need to see what happens and what the club has in mind. It’s not only up to me. There are other people involved.”
The big news in the world of football today was the appointment of Steven Gerrard as Aston Villa’s new manager.
The Reds great has been a key figure in Clayton’s career having been the person to hand him his debut at under-18 level for the Anfield club.
And Clayton admits he can see Gerrard becoming Liverpool manager one day and was not surprised to see Villa make a move for his former coach.
"I was a first year scholar when I found out Steven [Gerrard] was going to be our manager,” he said in an interview with the Scotsman.
"He brought a real buzz to the place and he had a lot of belief in me. He gave me a lot of confidence and I can’t speak highly enough of him.
“Steven Gerrard is a legend but I don’t think you realise how big he is until you go places with him. On tour, you see the attention he gets and you think ‘wow, this guy is special’. He has that special aura around the place. When he speaks, you listen.”
Before he continued: “He is hands-on with a lot of players. Steven’s pedigree is second-to-none and he can help you, no matter what position you play.
“Centre-backs; full-backs; wide players — his overall knowledge of the game is unbelievable.”
While Clayton has also hailed Andy Robertson as a Liverpool standard bearer and admits he aims to emulate the left-back.
He said: “You just need to look at them for five minutes and you’ll learn so much about how they train and apply themselves.
"Andy Robertson definitely is one, Virgil [van Dijk] is another — just the way he drives the session. He is like a coach on the pitch during the session.
"Those are guys you can look to and say: ‘I’ll take a lot from that’.”
Before he continued: “At first, you just see him running — he is really intense in his running and you don’t want to be left behind, with him out on his own.
"But he is vocal too. He is not afraid to speak out, encourage you and tell you if you have done something wrong.
"There is definitely a step up from the U23s to first-team and there is going to be a jump in level, but he will always encourage you and help you in any way possible.”
